Fiction Cornerstone Task Are you ready?

And the Oscar goes to... Have you ever read a short story or novel and thought it should be made into a major motion picture? (I.e. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children)

Coming soon to a theater near you... Well, you have now been given the opportunity to do just that. The English 8 teachers have selected four high interest short story texts for you to read and evaluate for possible film adaptation.

Your Tasks During SSR this week, you will read the short stories. You will make notes for each text you read. Upon completion of reading all four stories, you will take on the role of FILM PRODUCER, and you will select ONE of the stories to adapt and market as a major Hollywood production.

What do I do again? Movie Producer - You have been hired by HCPS Cinema to make a movie based on a popular story/novel for teens. You must create a producer’s presentation to convince the company president that your choice will be a blockbuster hit.

What is involved? Character - You will decide what actors should play the characters in the short story. Give a brief explanation for why that actor particularly matches the characters as they are described in the story. Setting - You will decide where the movie should be filmed. Will you need more than one location? Explain. How do these locations match the setting of the story? Theme - You will decide what song should be the theme song in the movie soundtrack. Explain how this song expresses the theme of the story. Include a copy of the lyrics.

What is involved? Evaluate/Market - You will explain why HCPS Cinema should pay a large sum of money to make this movie? Explain what elements will make it popular with its target audience. Cover - You will design a poster for the movie with the title, a graphic, and an attention-grabbing sentence.

Let’s Do It! Here are the short stories: “The Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl “Raymond’s Run” by Toni Cade Bambara “Charles” by Shirley Jackson “Thank You Ma’am” by Langston Hughes